BizzareProblem Linking two computers by IEEE 1394 (Firewire)

Hi all,

I am trying to link two laptops using the firewire port as a network connection, so i can access a share on one of them and copy some large files across.

The problem is that, upon linking the two machines via a firewire lead they will both connect prety quickly, but after maybe at most a few seconds one or both the machines will spontaneously disconnect, saying that "A network cable is unplugged". Even stranger is that, if left alone one or both machines will reconnect briefly, before once more disconnecting. Sometimes this results in one machine appearing to be connected (the connection properties dialogue that says the number of packets tx and rxd is accessible) whereas the other machine might be in a "A network cable is unplugged" state.

I would be very grateful for any advice as to how to get this setup working.

I should also note that the cable i am using to link the machines definitely works (it is usually used to link an external FW drive), and that the firewire ports on both machines work correctly, with external mass storage devices connected, and that all firewalls were disabled on both machines lest that should affect anything, as well as setting both machines to the Always On power scheme in case it is power management related.

I wonder if i might be missing something very obvious as i have tried linking another pair of laptops with similar behaviour. The articles i have read lead me to believe it should be as simple as connecting both devices and hey presto!